A comparative look at Attar's works and his existentialist thoughts (based on Attar's Masnavi)
Subject Areas : Interdisciplinary Literary StudiesFatemeh Taheri 1 , marjan aliakbarzade zehtab 2 * , Alireza GHoojezadeh 3
1 - PhD student, Department of Persian Language and Literature, Varamin-Pishva Branch, Islamic Azad University, Iran.
2 - Assistant Professor, Department of Persian Language and Literature, Varamin-Pishva Branch, Islamic Azad University, Iran.
3 - Assistant Professor, Department of Persian Language and Literature, Varamin-Pishva Branch, Islamic Azad University, Iran.
Keywords: existentialism, Mantegh al-Tair, Elahinameh, Mosibatnameh and Asrarnameh. ,
Abstract :
The main issue of the upcoming interdisciplinary research, which is provided in a descriptive-analytical and library form, is that by examining Attar's Masnavis (Mantegh al-Tair, Elahinameh, Mosibatnameh, and Asrarnameh) as well as his way of life to existentialist views. Attar in four areas; The freedom, death thoughts, solitude, and meaning-making achieved prove that the roots of the philosophy of existentialism, like many pure human thoughts, have long existed among the thinkers of the East and later spread from the East to the West. This school, which today casts a shadow on many sciences such as psychoanalysis, can be seen in Iranian-Islamic mysticism. The most important question is; How existentialism has affected Attar's Masnavis and his way of life? Hypothesis; Masnavis and Attar's way of life contains most of the existentialist attitudes of the God-believing and mystical type. Some of the most important cases of research; Existentialist concepts of freedom, death thoughts, loneliness, and meaning creation with a mystical approach are abundantly found in Attar's works. For example, the concept of freedom and choosing God's path can be seen in Mantegh al-Tair by the thirty birds looking for Simorgh. In Attar's works, the thought of death and its acceptance are based on the concept of connection with God. Loneliness has no place in Attar's thought because the world is the manifestation of God and the beloved has a dwelling in the lover's heart, and the meaning that Attar creates is the closeness to God and his connection.
Keywords: existentialism, Mantegh al-Tair, Elahinameh, Mosibatnameh and Asrarnameh.
Introduction
The school of "Existentialism" is a philosophical perspective that believes in the primacy of existence over essence. That is the primacy of existence, regardless of the essence attributed to human existence. Any definition we give to a human being, beyond any explanation that science, philosophy, religion, or politics imposes on his existence, is the essence that we have considered for him, but "human existence precedes its essence" (Sartre, 1402: 72). This philosophy addresses profound existential issues such as death, loneliness, abandonment, meaninglessness, absurdity, and the relationship with oneself. Meaning-making or creating meaning for life is one of the solutions of this school of thought in the face of absurdity. According to the principles of existentialism, the inner world of man can only be perceived through illumination and inner light, and mere reason leads nowhere. This philosophy investigates individual life and the inner world of the person. Self-knowledge and awareness of the inner world, accompanied by discovery, intuition, and a kind of Western esoteric philosophy, connect existentialism with Iranian-Islamic mysticism. As the contemporary American philosopher "William C. Chittick"[1] Says, "The Masnavi of Rumi is a rich source of existentialist insights" (Chittick, 1995: 46-48).
The primary objective of the present descriptive-analytical research is to investigate the extent to which the life and deeply contemplative thoughts of Attar, as reflected in his Masnavis - Mantegh al-Tair, Elahinameh, The Book of Mosibatnameh, and Asrarnameh - align with the fundamental principles of Existentialism. By conducting such research, we can establish a practical connection between the treasures of Persian literature and contemporary theories, while also gaining a deeper understanding of elusive philosophical schools like Existentialism. The most important question is: How are the principles of Existentialism manifested in Attar's Masnavis and his lifestyle? Hypothesis: Attar's Masnavis and lifestyle embody most existentialist perspectives, particularly those of a theistic and mystical nature.
Research Background
No independent research has been conducted specifically on the subject matter, although some very limited references have been made in certain studies, such as the article "A Comparative Study of the Concept of Death and Its Manifestations in Islamic Sufism and the School of Existentialism (Focusing on Attar's Book of Mosibatnameh and Sartre's Nausea)" by Farshad Valizadeh, Ali Dehghan, and Hamidreza Farzi (2019), and the article "The Knight of Faith in the View of Attar of Nishapur and Søren Kierkegaard" by Ghodratolah Taheri (2010).
Fundamental Principles of Existentialism
Based on the thoughts of existentialist philosophers such as “Søren Kierkegaard[2]”, “Friedrich Nietzsche[3]”, “Martin Heidegger[4]”, “Jean-Paul Sartre[5]”, “Karl Jaspers[6]”, and “Martin Buber[7]”, although they have apparent contradictions in their philosophical views, some of the most fundamental and shared principles of this school are as follows:
Freedom: Humans are completely free and are highly responsible for their choices. This responsible freedom of action itself is painful.
Death: The courage to face death while remaining committed to life is one of the most important existentialist conflicts in human life.
Loneliness: No matter how close we humans are to each other, there is always an insurmountable gap between us. Each of us enters existence alone and must leave this planet alone.
Meaning-Making: The existentialists' solution to the endless suffering of existence is that each person, according to their abilities and circumstances, is free to create meaning for their own life.
From a theistic perspective, existentialists can be divided into three groups: theistic, such as Søren Kierkegaard; atheistic, such as Jean-Paul Sartre; and agnostic or ambivalent, such as Friedrich Nietzsche.
The key figures of this philosophical school were able to build bridges between literature and philosophy. Sartre, for instance, alongside classic philosophical works like "Being and Nothingness" and "Critique of Dialectical Reason," also influenced the literary discourse of the post-World War II era with novels and plays like "Nausea" and "The Flies." 1 This characteristic, coupled with the existentialists' emphasis on the literary and political commitment of artists and intellectuals and their critique of positivism, led to their presence and influence among Iranian intellectuals, particularly during the years 1941-1978. Therefore, although existentialism is less known and rarely discussed in Iran compared to other philosophical schools such as nationalism and Marxism, it should not be assumed that its impact on various literary, political, and social discourses in Iran is less than those schools (Amankhan, 2013: 12).
Attar of Nishapur's Existentialist Life
Attar, with existentialist “freedom,” chose a life of service to people rather than the seclusion of a monastery. Not only did he confront the “awareness of death” as a child during the Mongol invasion, but he lived with it until the end of his life, ultimately being killed by the Mongols in 618 AH. Attar’s “meaning-making” in life took shape in his Sufi beliefs. The meaning he sketched for his life, like other Sufi poets, was the path to God, but he traveled this path without the benefit of a master-disciple relationship and never accepted the submission to any master. However, the belief in deep human “loneliness” is another existentialist principle whose traces must be sought in his works.
The Reflection of Attar's Existentialist Views in His Works
The primacy of existence is most evident in Attar's Mantegh al-Tair. Here, the weary and suffering thirty birds, after a long journey, see themselves in the radiance of the Simorgh and, upon looking within themselves, see the Simorgh. Thus, there is no duality; they have always been the Simorgh. In other words, the essence lies in their existence, and what they have been seeking is not outside of their being. This is the same existentialist view that gives primacy to existence.
Attar has extensively addressed existentialist freedom and choice in his Masnavis. For instance, in the fifth chapter of Mosibatnameh, he discusses Majnun's choice to choose a mad love for Layla (Attar, Vol. 3, 1397: 74). The concept of voluntary death, which is prevalent in Attar's works (see ibid, Vol. 2, 1397: 297, and Vol. 3: 179), is also entirely consistent with existentialist freedom.
Attar has also paid great attention to existentialist awareness of death. For example, in a story from Elahinameh, he concludes that a person is in the embrace of death even while living. Someone had cut down a green tree and left it on the ground for a long time. A wise person arrived and said that the tree seemed unaware of what had happened to it. After a week, it would realize (ibid, Vol. 2: 77).
Regarding existentialist loneliness in Attar's works, not only is there an emphasis on loneliness but, due to the abundance of trust in God, a negation of loneliness is also observed. For example, in a story from the twentieth discourse of Asrarnameh, there is a story of a woman whose husband has gone on a journey. After being alone, helpless, and hungry, she is asked, and she says that she is not alone because she is in the presence of God (ibid, Vol. 4: 98). Generally, in Attar's belief, loneliness lacks the painful existentialist meaning.
In Attar's view, in line with existentialism, one can escape from the suffering and anxiety of meaninglessness by creating meaning in life. This is highly recommended by him. For example, in a story from Elahinameh, he says that someone who does not create a meaning and purpose for their life has wasted their life and is, as it were, drinking their blood (ibid, Vol. 2: 205). The meaning he recommends creating is Sufism and nearness to God.
Conclusion
Attar's dedicated pursuit of the hereditary profession of pharmacy (attar), which in his time was equivalent to being a wise man or physician, not only granted him financial independence and freed him from the need for flattery or courtly connections but also enabled him to actively participate in the lives of his people. This made him a beneficial member of society, allowing him to pursue the path of Sufism with existentialist freedom and choice, rather than isolating himself from the marketplace and society. Unlike other existentialists who often sought solitude, Attar remained engaged in the heart of society, continuously striving for spiritual elevation. The meaning he found and lived by in his life is the same meaning and foundation of Iranian-Islamic Sufism: nearness to God.
More than any other work of Attar, the foundation of Mantegh al-Tair is based on the existentialist concept of "freedom". This is because each of the birds, with complete freedom (within their abilities and possibilities), is free to choose the path to reach the Simorgh or not to choose and not to go. Existentialist "awareness of death" is evident in all four of Attar's works with numerous examples. In his Sufi belief, death is not only a stage of life from which there is no escape but should be embraced with open arms as it leads to the liberation of the soul from the physical body and consequently to union with the Beloved. Although "loneliness" in humans, even in the theistic branch of existentialism, causes suffering and a sense of emptiness, in Attar's existentialism, loneliness does not exist in that sense. Because the universe and all beings are manifestations of God, and He is not only present everywhere but, according to the unity of existence, the whole universe is Himself. Therefore, with such a view, the suffering of loneliness does not exist, and this is exemplified in various similes in Attar's Masnavis. Sufi meaning-making is also a fundamental belief of Attar's existentialism in his four Masnavis. Thus, the principles of theistic existentialist philosophy, especially its Sufi kind, are so abundant and institutionalized in Attar's life and Masnavis that he can be called a pioneering existentialist.
References
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[3]. (1844- 1900)
[4]. (1889-1976)
[5]. (1905-1980)
[6]. (1883-1969)
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